Peanut Butter Energy Balls
These easy peanut butter energy Balls are healthy snacks, that are gluten free and made in 30 minutes or less!
This simple peanut butter energy balls recipe has been on our snack list all year long. It’s perfect when you’re running between trips to the gym, school, sports practice, and games, or any time of day when you need to squeeze in a healthy snack.
I can whip up these no bake peanut butter energy bites in no time. They are so easy to store in the refrigerator or the freezer so the kids and I can always grab as a quick snack when we’re on the go.
Keeping our energy up is important and I’ve tried a bunch of different snacks, but these super easy energy balls are everyone’s favorite.
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Packed with peanut butter, peanuts, oats, and a little honey and chocolate for sweetness, these are my favorite no bake energy bites! You can make a batch in less than 30 minutes, and there are tons of ways to change up the recipe for different flavor combinations.
I make a big batch of energy bites at the beginning of the week and keep them in the refrigerator for a quick and easy after school snack, after work-out pick-me-up, or a grab-and-go snack before practice.
What is a Protein Ball Made Of
- Peanut butter – You can also use almond butter, cashew butter, or any kind of nut butter you prefer.
- Honey – Use raw honey to get the most health benefits from your honey.
- Old Fashions Oats – You can sub out with quick oats if you prefer.
- Mini Chocolate Chips – Use dark chocolate chips for lower sugar and fat!
- Peanuts – You can also any different nut you enjoy!
You can modify this any way you wish. Try adding chia seeds, flax seeds, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, or anything else to your taste!
How to Make Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Step 1 – Mix peanut/almond butter and honey – Add peanut or almond butter and honey to a large mixing bowl and stir together.
Step 2 – Add mix-ins – Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine.
Step 3 – Chill – Place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to chill.
Step 4 – Make into balls – Remove from refrigerator form mixture into 1-inch balls. If you don’t have a cookie scoop you can just use a spoon.
There are so many good things in these energy balls. Peanut butter is an excellent source of vitamins and protein. Regularly eating peanut butter will help to prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes!
Want to up your iron? Use almond butter instead! Almond butter has twice the iron, three times the vitamin E, and seven times the calcium of peanut butter! However, peanut butter does contain a bit more protein. You can also find lots of sugar free peanut or almond butter options.
The oats in these energy bits give you lots of heart healthy benefits. It lowers blood sugar, gives you lots of fiber, and helps give you that full feeling without overeating!
The honey in this energy bite recipe also benefits you. Honey has lots of healing properties, especially raw honey. It’s great for your brain, helps with digestion, and is also an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent.
Even the chocolate chips help your health! Your mental health, that is. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains serotonin which gives you that uplifting boost so many of us need.
These energy balls have approximately 110 calories per ball. The calorie amount will vary as you modify the recipe, so if you are counting calories you may want to be mindful of any variations you make.
Energy Balls will help you any time of day you need a quick pick up!
If you eat them before your physical activity, like a workout or sports practice, it will help give you the energy you need to power through and give a peak performance.
After your physical activity, your muscles are primed for soaking up all the health benefits you will get from eating this protein packed energy balls. The vitamins and nutrients in these energy balls will help to repair and refresh your body.
They are also great to get your through that mid-afternoon slump where many people start to feel their energy wane. A quick snack on these energy bites and you can breeze through the rest of your afternoon!
Yes! Just store them in an airtight container and you can keep them in your freezer for up to 6 months. You may find it easier to put some wax paper between them to keep them from freezing together.
When you’re ready to use them, just pop them in the fridge to let them thaw.
How to Store
You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
They will last in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, again in an airtight storage container.
Because you can store them so easily in the fridge or the freezer, they are a great treat to make ahead of time, so they are ready when you need them!
Looking for More Healthy Snacks?
- Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Snack Wraps
- Blueberry Cheerios Breakfast Bars
- Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Bananas
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana RITZ Crackers
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
- More Snack Recipes…
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Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup Rolled Oats
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Crushed Peanuts
Instructions
- Add peanut butter and honey to a bowl and stir together.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to chill.
- Remove from refrigerator form mixture into 1 inch balls.
- Enjoy!
Can these be made and froze?
Yes!! You can freeze them and then take them out to thaw before you are ready to eat them. They also do well in the refrigerator.
I am allergic to chocolate! Can you substitute the chocolate chips? Or do you know of recipes without chocolate?
Sure, replace it with anything you’d like.
You could replace it with another kind of nut like almonds, or maybe dried cranberries or raisins? Like Melinda said you can really replace them with anything or just skip them altogether!
I love these! While I have made them with peanut butter, I usually sub in cashew butter as I have a child with a peanut allergy. I sub in ground flaxseed for peanuts every time though. So good. The protein count is obviously not as high, but still a much healthier snack than regular cookies!
These would be fun to make with my Grandaughters!
These would be yummy to make with my granddaughters.
I love these! I made them for the second time today. I did 1/2 cup of peanut butter because the first time it did not pick up everything. This is a quick, easy snack to keep on hand!
This is my all time favorite recipe for energy bites. 😍 them!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Mine won’t form into a ball it just falls apart. Any suggestions? I added a little more peanut butter to see if it helps but didn’t. Kept in the fridge for 45 min. I’ll stick it back in and see if that helps?
Hi Trisha, is it possible that the peanut butter is too chilled? Try letting it warm up a little and see if it will stick together then.
Try adding a splash of milk. That worked for me!